Guide-file.



H. V. MARTIN.

GUIDE FILE.

APPLICATION man MAR. 9. 191e.

1,221,884., l Patented Apr. 1 0, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

wwmtoz H. V. IVIRTIN.

GUIDE FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.9,1916.

1,221,884, Patented Api'. 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HOMER V. MARTIN', 01E' LINCLN, NEBRASKA.

GUIDE-FILE.

Specification of Letters Tatent.

Patented Apr.. im 1917.

Application filed March 9, 191.6. Serial No. ,83,151.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER V. MARTIN, la citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, inthe county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guide-Files; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in guide files for securing together bundles of letters, notes and various other kinds of business documents, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and eliicient form of guide file which is made of a single sheet of material and which is also adjustable for holding bundles of documents of. varying thicknesses, and which will enable these Idocuments to be filed away for future reference.

Another object of this invention is to proT vide a guide file of this character which is provided with means for preventing the cord that surrounds the same to secure the parts together, from being accidentally disengaged and slipping from the top so that the papers will be likely to drop therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple and durable in construction, inexpen-v sive to manufacture, and one which will be very etlicient in operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain no-vel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a plan view showing one form of this invention before the same is folded;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the same in partly folded position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse Section; Y

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a slightly modi fied form showing the same before it is folded;

Fig. .5 is a perspective view of the same in partly folded position;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View showing vthe rear ,of the same when in folded positien; t

Fig, 7 is a detail perspective view taken froim the front when the guide file is folded; an.

Fig, 8 is a transverse section of the same.

In .describing my invention I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which in Fig. l of the drawing is shown a single blank form from which this guide file is made, showing the same before it is folded in operative position. This guide tile may be formed of any desired material, such as is adapted for the uses to which it is put, pasteboard being the most preferable.

The guide file consists of a main wall 1 which is lsubstantially rectangular in shape and has a central Vnotch 2 in its upper edge. The upper .edge of the main wall lis also provided with .an-upwardly projecting tab 3 adjacent either end .of the same which is adapted to receive a letter or numeral thereon, so that when the guide file is filed away, the same may be .easily located. The main wall l is also provided with a centrally disposed disk 4 which is secured to the outer surface of the same directly beneath the notch 2, and which is for the purpose of securing thereto the ends of a cord 5, which surrounds the vwrapper to secure the parts in position. This securing disk 4 and the cordor string 5 are of the conventional form which is commonly used in securing devices .of this character.

Projecting from either end of the main wall 1 are end flaps `6 and 7, which are-vertically scored as shown at 8 at horizontally spaced intervals so that they may be adjusted to different widths to conform to the thicknesses of the documents vor materials that are held by the guide file.

Projecting from the extremities of the vertically secured end viiaps are tongues 9 and l0 which are adapted to overlap one another when the wrapper is folded and are disposed in slidable relation with each other so that when the end flaps 6 and 7 are. adjusted, the tongues will remain in position. These tongues when in overlapped position,

Vie

are disposed directly behind the main wall 1 and are parallel therewith, thereby forming an adjustable rear wall for the guide file. The tongues 9 and 10 are provided with end-portions 11 and 12, which have notched upper edges 13 that are stepped down from the upper edges of the tongues and are disposed in a horizontal plane below the horizontal plane of said tongues. These notched end portions 13 are, vwhen the tongues are in overlapped position, adapted to be disposed in a single plane with the lowermost point of the notch 2 in the upper edge of the main wall 1. The purpose of this positioning is so that when 'the string s or cord 5 1s wrapped Varound the exterior of the guide lile when the same is in folded position, the portion of the string that is positioned across the 'top of the guide file will be disposed Vin the notch 2, no matter in what Vposition the side flaps are placed. This will prevent the top ofthe string from sliding along the top of the guide le, and thereby allowing certain papers to be dropped therefrom.

The portion of the string across the top of the guide file will always be held in this position, that is in the notch 2 in the upper edge of the main wall 1, by reason of the fact that the notches 13 in the end portions Y of the overlapping tongues extend a sui'ii- 4cient distance so that no matter how narrow or wide the end flaps may be made, in accordance with the ,width of the documents, that are held by the guide le, the notches will always be in alinement and hence they will always be in a single horizontal plane with the-lowermost point of the notch 2.

This form of guide file affords a very easily constructed, simple, and eiiicient guide file lof the class described, that will rmly and securely hold any documents placed 'therein in position so that the same may be led'away. The alining notches in the upvper edge of the guide iile for preventing the string fromvhaving any movement along the same, Will be found very advantageous in 'a device of this character. as there will be noI liability of the documents dropping therefrom. This guide file is very easily adjusted, owing 'to the scored end flaps of the same, to bundles of various widths or thiclr-v nesses.

Furthermore the notch may be'used for' the purpose of pushing down the led materialto make the same more even orV level across, both at thetop and bottom so-that the guide file may stand alone or upright whenthematerial Ais suiiicient to give it a base. 'I-Iowever, if desired, the use of this notch' and the stepped down end tongues, may be done away with and the guide file used withoutthis feature.

In Figs. 4 to 8 of the drawings, I have illustrated a slightly dierent form of this device, which in addition to the above described structure, also comprises a bottom flap which is designated by the numeral 14 that has in its outer surface a plurality of horizontally extending spaced scores 15 which enable the same to be adjusted to various widths to correspond with the widths to which the end iaps of the devices are adjusted. The extremity of the bottom flap is provided with a tongue 1G which is adapted when the device is folded to be positioned parallel with the main wall 1 and coacts with the tongues 10 and 11 to forln a rear wall of the guide file.

The use of the bottom flap on the guide file serves mainly to strengthen the same, and to prevent the possibility of papers slipping through the bottom. In this form when the ends of the tongues are notched to prevent the securing string across the top of the guide file from slipping, there will be absolutely no chance of the documents held by the guide {ile from dropping therethrough and a safe and secure device is formed thereby. The bottom flap need not necessarily be an integral part of the guide A file, but may be a separate piece pasted thereto, and if desired, may be used to reinforce the main body of the file so that it will be more durable.

I claim:

1. A guide file comprising a main wall having a centrally disposed notch in its upper edge, a tab on said edge adjacent one end, end iaps on said wall vertically scored for adjusting their widths, overlapping tongues on the extremities of said flaps disposed parallel with the main wall, a string wrapped exterior to the guide ile, means on said main wall directly below the notch in the upper edge for securing the ends of said string, and the end portions of said tongues having notched upper edges disposed in a single plane with the lowermost point of the notch in the main wall, whereby the portion of the spring across the top of the guide [ile will be held in the notch against lateral movement.

2. A guide file comprising a main wall having a centrally disposed notch in its upper edge, a tab on said upper edge adjacent one end, a bottom iiap on the lower edge of saidwall, end flaps' on said wall vertically scored for adjusting their widths, the bottom flap of said wall being horizontally scored for adjusting its width corresponding to the width of the end fiaps, overlapping tongues on the extremities of said {iaps disposed parallel with the main wall, a string wrapped exterior to the guide file, means on said main wall directly below its notch for securing the ends of said string, the end portions of said tongues on the endiaps having notched upper edges disposed in a my hand in presence of two subscribing witsingle plane with the lowermost point on the nesses. notch in the main wall, whereby the portion of the string across the top of the guide file HOMER V MARTIN 5 will be held in the notch against lateral Witnesses:

movement. W. A. GRAY,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set H. W. DAVISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

